On 9 December 2025, Kyiv bid farewell to a true son of Ukraine – a warrior, actor, and athlete, Ivan Kononenko. His fate had remained unknown for many long months: in late November 2024 came the report that Ivan had gone missing in action during the fighting in the Kursk region. Search efforts continued, but the miracle, sadly, did not come – the Hero returned home upon his shield.
Ivan Kononenko was born in Kyiv on 26 July 1983. He earned a degree in veterinary medicine from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, developed original scientific work in veterinary surgery, and worked at a private clinic.
Alongside his academic and professional career, his life was inseparable from sport. Strength and endurance were qualities he proved not with words but with results. Ivan was part of Vasyl Virastiuk’s team (weightlifting and strongman), practiced winter swimming, and was a prize-winner and champion of dozens of competitions, including the 2006 Ukraine Open Olimp Strongman.
Another dimension of his talent was cinema. Ivan completed acting courses and worked for many years in television series, films, and commercials. He appeared in numerous popular Ukrainian productions, including Servant of the People, Kyiv Day and Night, Love in Chains, The Infernal Banner, or the Cossack Christmas, Crazy Wedding, The First Swallows, The Investigators, Real Mysticism, and many others. On screen, he was vivid, versatile, and full of life – exactly as his colleagues remember him.
On 24 February 2022, the first morning of the full-scale invasion, Ivan Kononenko immediately joined the Territorial Defense Forces of Kyiv’s Holosiiv district. In November of that year, he sustained a severe wound. Doctors doubted he would ever fully recover, but a strong-spirited person does not accept defeat. Ivan developed his own rehabilitation system, shared his experience in videos, and ultimately restored his health – despite every grim prognosis.
Given his medical condition, he could have remained at home. Yet he repeated a simple phrase: “For me, the war is not over.” And he returned. He signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, became a senior lieutenant, and took command of a rifle platoon of military unit A1815. He was honored with combat awards for his resilience, determination, and the responsibility he carried as a commander.
On 16 November 2024, he spoke with his sister for the last time. After that, no information came, except an official notice that he had gone missing during combat operations on enemy territory. More than a year passed before the family received the devastating news – Senior Lieutenant Ivan Kononenko had been killed near the settlement of Nyzhnii Klyn in Russia’s Kursk region.
Ivan Kononenko is survived by his two sons — 15-year-old Arkhyp and 5-year-old Nikita.
We bow our heads in his memory. Eternal glory and eternal honor to the Hero.